The Ultimate How Spiders Work Quiz

What is it about spiders that creeps people out so much? Spiders are probably the most feared bug, even though very few are actually dangerous. Perhaps learning more about spiders will help you get over your fears. Take this quiz and find out more about these helpful little creatures.

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Question 1 of 20

A spider's diet falls into which of these categories?

carnivore

Spiders feed on the insects they trap in their webs. They are the consummate carnivore.

herbivore

omnivore

Question 2 of 20

Scientists believe that spiders have existed for how long?

100 million years

200 million years

400 million years

According to evolutionary theory, spiders have been on the Earth for more than 400 million years.

Question 3 of 20

Approximately how many recorded species of spiders are there?

4000

40000

There are about 40,000 recorded species of spiders -- that's 10 times the number of species of mammals -- and scientists believe there are many more to be found.

400000

Question 4 of 20

Spiders share an order with which of these?

ants and termites

ticks and scorpions

While they might seem like insects, spiders have several features that distinguish them from that class. They are arachnids, in the same order as ticks and scorpions.

beetles

Question 5 of 20

Spiders have the ability to produce which of these materials?

silk

Spiders are among a small group of animals that can produce silk. The silk they produce is one of the strongest materials known to man.

cotton

rayon

Question 6 of 20

How many segments does a single leg of a spider have?

three

five

seven

While it is well known that spiders have eight legs, it is not as well known that each leg is made up of seven sections. This feature provides spiders with exceptional agility.

Question 7 of 20

How many sections does a spider's body have?

two

One of the features that distinguishes spiders from insects is that a spider's body has only two sections -- cephalothorax and abdomen -- rather than the three found in insects.

three

four

Question 8 of 20

Which of these do spiders use as their primary sense?

touch

Some animals rely primary on smell, others on sight, and still others on hearing. A spider's primary sense is its sense of touch.

smell

sight

Question 9 of 20

What do spiders use to feel vibrations around them?

antennae

legs

hair

A spider's body is covered in hairs that are extremely sensitive to touch and movement. Spiders can feel even very low-level vibrations with these hairs.

Question 10 of 20

How many types of respiratory systems will you find among spiders?

one

two

There are two types: the trachea and the book lungs. A particular species may have one or both.

three

Question 11 of 20

Spiders use the hairs at the end of their legs to do what?

They use them to walk on smooth surfaces.

At the end of their legs, many spiders have hairs with microscopic feet. These feet allow spiders to grab onto just about any surface, no matter how smooth.

They use them to smell predators.

They use them to produce silk.

Question 12 of 20

The exoskeleton of a spider is made of what material?

skin

silk

cuticle

The exoskeleton of a spider is made of material called cuticle, which is a combination of a sugar-based polymer known as chitin, and various proteins.

Question 13 of 20

Why must spiders molt in order to grow?

Spiders must molt because their dead skin cells are poisonous.

Spiders must molt because their exoskeletons can't grow any other way.

While the cuticle from which a spider's exoskeleton is made is very strong, it is unable to grow. Spiders, therefore, must continuously molt, increasing their exoskeleton each time.

Spiders must molt because their blood needs to be exposed to air.

Question 14 of 20

How do spiders shed their old exoskeletons when they molt?

Spiders burst out of their shells using pressure and muscular strength.

Spiders use internal pressure created by expanding their cephalothorax, as well as shear strength, to crack their old exoskeletons. They flex and wiggle until they have escaped their old shell.

Spiders eat away their old shell over the course of a few days.

Spiders rub their bodies against rough surfaces until they've worked off their old shell.

Question 15 of 20

How much stronger is spider silk than steel?

twice as strong

five times as strong

If you compare two samples of equal mass, spider silk is five times stronger than steel. Those huge cables that hold up bridges would be thin little ropes if they were made of spider silk!

10 times as strong

Question 16 of 20

Scientists are attempting to increase the available amount of spider silk in which of these ways?

Scientists are trying to increase the world's spider population by 10,000 percent.

Scientists are trying to create a spider-silk producing goat.

Scientists at Nexia Biotechnologies are attempting to develop a species of goat that can produce spider silk, thus dramatically increasing the rate of silk production.

Scientists are trying to perfect a machine that imitates the method spiders use to turn proteins into silk.

Question 17 of 20

What do orb spiders do with the silk of a deteriorated web?

The eat the threads so they can recycle the material.

When a web has deteriorated beyond repair, orb spiders eat the remaining silk, and then recycle the raw materials into new silk.

The leave the threads where they are and find a new location.

They destroy the silk with their venom.

Question 18 of 20

Which of these species of spider hunts by changing colors to adapt to its surrounding?

the chameleon spider

the yellow crab spider

In just a couple of days, the yellow crab spider can change colors to match the flowers on which it hunts.

the tarantula

Question 19 of 20

Which of these species of spider is known to carry its young on its back to protect them from predators?

tarantula

wolf spider

A wolf spider will carry its young on its back until the young are able to care for themselves.

crab spider

Question 20 of 20

The world's longest-living spider belongs to which of these species?

crab spider

tarantula

There are female tarantulas that live up to 20 years. The majority of species, however, live from a few months to a couple of years.